Abstract
The purpose was to evaluate the effect of replacement of Tifton 85 hay with Guandu hay on the intake, digestibility and ingestive behavior of dairy goats. Five Saanen goats with average milk production of 2.26 ± 0.10 kg d-1, around 123 ± 4 days of lactation were assigned to a 5 x 5 Latin square design. The treatments consisted of five levels of replacement with Guandu: 0, 8.4, 16.8, 25.2, or 36.4 %. We sampled the food offered, leftovers and feces to calculate intake and digestibility, and the ingestive behavior was monitored for 24 hours. Regression analysis was applied with 5% significance. The nutrient intake and the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and protein decreased linearly with increasing levels of Guandu hay in the diet (p < 0.05). On the other hand, the neutral detergent fiber digestibility increased linearly, without change the water intake and ingestive behavior with replacement levels of Tifton hay with Guandu hay in the diet (p < 0.05). The replacement of up to 36.4% Tifton hay with Guandu hay in the dairy goat diet reduces the intake and digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and protein, and increasesfiber digestibility, without changing the ingestive behavior and water intake.
Highlights
Legumes have an essential role in agriculture due to their significant nitrogen-fixing capacity, and for livestock, providing feed with high nutritional value and reduced methane emissions (Mueller-Harvey et al, 2019)
Five non-pregnant Saanen goats with an average body weight (BW) of 48.0 ± 1.48 kg, with 123 ± 4 days of lactation and production of 2.26 ± 0.10 kg day-1 were dewormed with albendazole, using 1 mL for 10 kg body weight before the experimental period
The reduced dry matter intake influenced the intake of all nutrients (OM, crude protein (CP), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF))
Summary
Legumes have an essential role in agriculture due to their significant nitrogen-fixing capacity, and for livestock, providing feed with high nutritional value and reduced methane emissions (Mueller-Harvey et al, 2019). Guandu is a legume of the species Cajanus cajan grown in semi-arid tropical and subtropical areas of the world, such as Asia, Africa, and Brazil This species calls farmers attention for tolerance to acid and low fertility soil, hydric scarcity, besides supplying grains for human food, as well as branches and leaves for animal feed (Chen et al, 2019). In branches and leaves of Guandu, there are about 152 (g kg-1 Dry matter (DM)) of crude protein, 631 (g kg-1 DM) of neutral detergent fiber, 465 (g kg-1 DM) of acid detergent fiber, 23 (g kg-1 DM) of ether extract and 955 (g kg-1 DM) of organic matter (Berardo, Dzowela, Hove, & Odoardi, 1997) As in another legume, Guandu has a greater concentration of protein compared to grasses, reducing the need for dietary protein supplementation (i.e. soybean meal) to improve animal performance. The goal was to evaluate the levels of replacementof Tifton 85 with Guandu hay in the diet on intake, digestibility and ingestive behavior of dairy goats
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
